


Forgiveness

by SoulOfAFangirl684



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkwardness, Blushing, Guilt, Hugs, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Mentions canon character death, Pre-Relationship, Rambling, Set after Blood of Olympus, Solangelo! - Freeform, Stuttering, Tears, general fluffiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-04 21:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18820852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulOfAFangirl684/pseuds/SoulOfAFangirl684
Summary: Nico di Angelo didn't quite understand how such a short conversation could leave him in such awe of Will Solace.





	Forgiveness

**Author's Note:**

> Continuing my cross-posting journey... We're now getting into some of the fandoms that I haven't been active in for a while, so going back to see what I wrote for them is a bit of a trip. I remember this one pretty vividly, though. I'd just finished the last Heroes of Olympus book, and this was the first thing I wrote the next day. (I write reviews on Goodreads too, but I had to work through the shipping feels first. XD Those last few chapters turned me into a diehard Solangelo fan. Even being a little distanced from the series now, it just has the ring of, like, a battle cry.)

Nico di Angelo wasn't sure what he was doing, exactly, walking around the camp in the dark, well after midnight. Things had settled down over the past few weeks, but he was still struggling to really associate this setting with "home." Perhaps that was the point of this outing—to find some sort of understanding in this newfound belonging. All he really knew was that he couldn't spend another second in the Hades cabin. He hadn't been kidding about the redecorating plans. The place was smothering him. Quite a feat, considering how much time he'd spent in the _actual_ Underworld.

Though the other campers hadn't reacted _badly_ to the news of Nico settling in for good, he knew he was still very much an enigma to most of them. He tried not to believe that the other demigods were actively avoiding him, though he knew he was accompanied by a certain… aura everywhere he went. The nature spirits had quite bluntly informed him that he reeked of death, and there wasn't much he could do about that. The fact was, people avoided him _instinctively_ , whether they realized it or not.

So it was easiest for him to feel at home here when the grounds weren't swarming with other campers.

Which is why he was surprised to see a plume of smoke rising slowly into the sky as he neared the dining pavilion. Nico moved purposefully now, curious to see who else had snuck out this late.

As he got closer, he realized the glow wasn't strong enough for a real fire. It was just the coals. Someone was sacrificing something to the gods. But at this hour?

Nico recognized the boy almost immediately upon reaching his destination and unwittingly gathered the shadows to hide himself. What was Will Solace, of all people, doing out here?

Well, once his mind had cleared, it was quite obvious what he was doing. Most demigods 'spoke' to their godly parents at one time or another, but Nico had never seen one _actually_ pray. And that's what Will was doing. He knelt in front of the hearth, eyes closed, hands clasped before him. Perhaps he'd been speaking the whole time, but Nico startled when he first heard Will's voice.

"The thing is… I've always known my place as a son of Apollo. Some of my siblings are archers or musicians. I'm a healer. And I know we're not _exactly_ like mortal doctors—we don't have to take some moral oath or anything, but… It _is_ kind of the same thing. I've always tried to live by the whole 'First, do no harm' thing, and now…"

Nico felt his stomach sink as he realized where this was going.

"I mean, I think Octavian was technically, like, my great-great-great nephew or something, but if the circumstances had been just a _little_ different, he and I would have grown up together in the Apollo cabin, as brothers. Actually, if things had been just a little different and I was living in New Rome right now, I think the Romans would technically be able to execute me. I mean, they're pretty strict about fratricide…"

Nico winced as Will began to ramble. This whole time, he thought Will blamed _him_ for Octavian's death, and that was why they hadn't grown quite as close as he sometimes fantasized—something he could admit now. Knowing that Will blamed _himself_? Frankly, he was horrified.

"Nico said something about how sometimes death _has_ to happen; you can't stop it, but…"

The son of Hades felt a little tingle travel through him at the sound of his own name. _Here it comes…_ he thought. Maybe Will held some muted resentment towards him after all.

"But I don't know if I believe that." His voice took on some more fervor now. "As a healer, I don't know if I _can_ believe that! It goes against everything I've been taught. I mean, with that mindset, why even try to save _anyone_? But whether I believe in it or not, I don't know if this mess with Octavian even _qualifies_."

Nico's horror only grew as, for the first time, Will's voice broke. "I could have done more. I shouldn't have stopped trying to talk him down."

"Will." Nico's voice finally crossed the space between them. He stepped out of the shadows as the first tear rolled down the son of Apollo's face. By the time Nico himself crossed that space, Will Solace had shed more than one tear.

Will stood. The light from the coals had died down upon Nico's intervention. Will's godly audience was apparently over. "Nico. What are you doing here?"

The son of Hades ignored him. "It's not your fault, Will," he said firmly. "Nothing anyone did or said would have talked Octavian off that ledge. He truly believed in what he was doing."

"Exactly!" Will stumbled forward a step, and for the first time in his life, Nico opened his arms to invite a hug. Of course, he quickly realized that he had no idea what to do afterwards when Will's shoulders only began to shake _more_.

"He thought he was doing the right thing. And I know he did a lot of _bad_ things, but he did them for good _reasons_. I just don't see how someone like that can really be evil. And the way he died… Only someone truly evil deserved something like that."

Nico just held Will a little tighter. Octavian's end _had_ been horrible, by anyone's standards, and Nico forgot sometimes that most people didn't have quite the same… intimate relationship with death that he did.

For a long moment, the two boys just stood there, holding onto each other in the dark. When Will's breathing finally steadied and they really were just standing there, Nico released him and took a few awkward steps back.

Will took a deep breath and rubbed the tear tracks from his face. When he seemed reasonably composed, he straightened up and turned to Nico, who wouldn't meet his eyes.

"We should get back to our cabins. It's after curfew, and the cleaning harpies will be out."

"They don't usually bother me," Nico said with a shrug. "One of those 'Child of the Underworld' things."

He looked up quickly when Will suddenly sidled a lot closer, their arms brushing as they walked. He was just about to demand to know what he thought he was doing when Will grinned at him and his train of thought sped away. Watching the boy cry had torn at him from the inside out. When he smiled… Well, it wasn't hard to believe that his father was also the god of sunlight.

"Then I better stick close to you, huh?"

Nico swallowed, with difficulty, and opened and closed his mouth a few times. Unable to form words, he settled for hoping it was too dark for Will to see the blush burning across his face. And every other inch of his skin, for that matter. It wasn't until they'd reached the Hades cabin that Nico felt his heartbeat slow. He took a deep breath and finally regained the ability to speak.

"You know… I'm sure your dad will forgive you."

"What?" Will blinked and stared at him with confusion that was, frankly, adorable. Nico tried to push that thought away and focus.

"I heard some of what you said to Apollo," he admitted. "I mean, I wasn't planning on eavesdropping—"

But Will didn't seem to be listening. "What I said… Oh! I, uh… I wasn't saying all that to Apollo. …I was praying to _your_ dad."

Once again, Will Solace had struck him speechless. Nico tried to run through the list of demigods who had ever willingly trusted Hades enough to honestly pray for someone else's wellbeing. He was pretty sure Will brought that list up to one.

The son of Apollo looked embarrassed now. "Yeah, I mean… Octavian will probably technically see Pluto when he gets there, but I figured if anyone could make sure he at least got a fair trial…"

Nico knew his staring was beginning to border on the creepy side, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. He suddenly wanted to leave for his father's palace, right this second, and not come back until he could return with the news that Will's prayers would be answered. He didn't understand. How could so much goodness be contained in one person?

At last, Will awarded his awkwardness with another small smile. "Well, I probably shouldn't push the curfew rule any more than I already have. Good night, Nico."

"Y-yeah… Good night, Will."


End file.
